The story proper opens with a woman slowly dying in a nunnery. She calls in a reporter and gives her a few choice snippets relating to her husband’s death 20 years ago. The lady reporter, Mary, promises to come back later for more gossip but she shouldn’t bother as her source snuffs it off camera ten minutes later.
Mary heads off to speak to rich lawyer Frederic who is aghast at the news that some dark secret may be uncovered. He is wealthy by unknown sources, but spends his cash on sponsoring young artistic talents such as pianist Michel. Michel has his own troubles with a floozy wife who wears a scandalous dressing gown with frilly bits.
We learn that Frederic inherited all of the dead woman’s husband’s cash and needs to silence the tenacious reporter lest she uncover the truth of his benefactor's demise. Opportunity knocks when he visits Michel’s wife and finds her dead through suicide. He pockets the suicide note and convinces Michel that he must have killed her whilst pissed, as you do. He says he can use his lawyer skills to get him off the murder charge - but in exchange he must kill Mary.
Michel is slightly hesitant but is soon sniffing around Mary, using the old wrongly delivered flowers ruse to get into her apartment. Fortunately Mary is so lovely that he starts to fall for her and gives up an easy chance to chuck her out of the window. Frederic isn’t impressed and convinces him to take Mary to the deserted waterfall nearby. Mary smells a rat and takes a gun but we hear a scream and then cut to the ferocious waters below - has Mary been killed and will Michel escape the electric chair? Can justice prevail?
Dating from 1947 this film certainty shows its age and has one of the most obvious cliff-hangers you’ll ever see. It is quite fun however, as the ghostly Mary haunts Frederic into some rather indiscreet confessions. “Killers are haunted” he cries despite being a supposedly successful lawyer. It’s not clear but I’m guessing the ‘whispering city’ of the title is an allusion to the paranoia felt by the villain.
The film looked like a dual language affair with newspapers morphing between French and English headlines. The dashing leading man Michel couldn’t act in English so I’m guessing he was a Frenchman drafted in to balance the numbers.
Mary Anderson, as the cleverly named ’Mary’, was good in the lead - I liked her Tam O’Shanter and her drinking and smoking habits. I thought she must have been Scottish but no, she was from Alabama - must be second generation. It was all very prim with just one wee kiss at the end showing that they were now an item.
The plot was OK with just the right amount of twists and double crosses to keep me onside. There was little in the way of action, with the city and waterfall shots clearly stock footage, but the short run time kept things bubbling along. The main twist was laughable but I liked Mary emerging from the mist on a clearly back lot cemetery set as the baddie bit his knuckles.
Overall this is an average ‘B’ movie film noir that won’t linger long in the memory but didn’t offend or outstay its welcome either.
Best Bit : Cemetery Showdown ‘W’ Rating 16/23
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